Education briefs

Sasse: Teachers need more planning time

The Washington County Teachers Association President Claude Sasse presented the Washington County Board of Education Tuesday with concerns he has about time management in the classroom.

Sasse said teachers don't have enough planning and staff development time, but admitted that rescheduling times to accomodate teachers would be a burden on administrators.

He suggested teachers and administrators work together to acknowledge time constraints in the classroom and teachers be allowed more flexibility in directing learning time.

PTA council president reports parents' ideas

The Washington County Council of Parent Teacher Associations President Scott Nicewarmer presented the School Board with ideas parents support and those they oppose.

Advertisement

He said Del. Bob McKee R-Washington and State Sen. Don Munson, R-Washington spoke to the PTAs Monday. Afterward, Nicewarmer said, parents expressed concerns about budget cuts that might affect funding to schools, opposed commercialism in the classroom and supported class-size reduction. They also expressed concern that federally mandated programs like No Child Left Behind are not also federally funded.

Nicewarmer added two additional concerns. He said Pleasant Valley Elementary School teachers had to report to the school, which had been closed due to a power outage and the Conococheague Elementary School. And he said the community needs to be informed above and beyond standard procedure on the closing down of the school.

He suggested teachers have a designated place they can work in the event of a power outage or unworkable conditions. He also suggested that the closing down of Conococheague would continue to be an emotional issue for the community surrounding it and said the School Board needs to recognize that is the case.